Coker: UTSA to hold first practice at new facility on Monday

The UTSA football team will kick off game week with a practice on Monday at the new fields on campus, coach Larry Coker announced Friday night after a training camp workout at Farris Stadium.

UTSA has held practices off campus at Farris for the first three years of the program and for the first three weeks of the current training camp.

But Coker said the team will work out all next week at the $7 million campus facility adjacent to the UTSA softball field.

“I feel good about it,” Coker said. “I hadn’t been so in favor of moving over there that quickly but the players are excited and that makes it easier for me. Hey, if they want to go, we’ll go.”

The season opener is set for Aug. 31 at New Mexico.

The Roadrunners will work out one last time at Farris, about five miles west of the main campus, on Saturday. They will have Sunday off and then will work Monday morning on the new fields.

No longer will they be driving their cars on Loop 1604 to get to practice and then back to campus to go to class.

“That’s exciting on the gas tank,” UTSA receiver Earon Holmes said, laughing. “Everything’s at the school. You can go straight to the school, stay up there all day and leave. Go back home. That’s good.”

The Roadrunners will have a locker area downstairs in the old physical education building, just to the north of the Convocation Center.

Coaches offices are upstairs, in the same building. The fields are across the street, a short walk away from the dressing area.

UTSA is expected to practice at the new site for at least a few years.

The long-range plan is to build a field house and practice site on campus property at Park West.